


A HUMAN BOY AND A DEVIL GIRL

by sailor_eri



Category: Yu Yu Hakusho, YuYu Hakusho, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Cussing, F/M, Fluff, Platonic Relationships, Slow Burn, Violence, timeskips used too much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26173654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailor_eri/pseuds/sailor_eri
Summary: Currently undergoing rewriting!
Relationships: Botan (YuYu Hakusho)/ Hanabi (Original Character) (Platonic), Botan (YuYu Hakusho)/Original Character (Platonic), Hiei (YuYu Hakusho)/Hanabi (Original Character) (Platonic), Hiei (YuYu Hakusho)/Original Character (Platonic), Hiei/(Original Character) (Platonic), Kazuma Kuwabara/Hanabi (Original Character) (Platonic), Kazuma Kuwabara/Original Character (Platonic), Kazuma Kuwabara/Yukina (YuYu Hakusho), Kurama | Shuuichi Minamino/Hanabi (Original Character), Kurama | Shuuichi Minamino/Original Character, Kurama | Shuuichi Minamino/Original Female Character, Kuwabara Kazuma/Yukina, Yukina (YuYu Hakusho)/ Original Character (Platonic), Yukina (YuYu Hakusho)/Hanabi (Original Character) (Platonic), Yusuke Urameshi/Hanabi (Original Character) (Platonic), Yusuke Urameshi/Keiko Yukimura, Yusuke Urameshi/Original Character (Platonic)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 2





	1. Missing... girl? Oi, Koenma, are you sure this is a girl? She looks like a doll!

**Author's Note:**

> honestly i've been quivering about this story for so long because i've been so scared about developing the relationship, so i hope that you'll all enjoy my hard work of two months into developing this story. i hope that you'll all love kyuu as much as i love her because she was actually just an accidental character i made one day and now i decided to develop into a story. i'm excited to show everyone how she grows to become a better person.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koenma has assigned Squad Urameshi to complete a simple task: find a fourteen year old demon fox and bring her back to the Spirit World. It seems simple enough, so why is it so hard? Is this girl even normal? Wait– is she even a girl?!! There's no way! She looks like a doll!

Today's task was simple and finally something tame. They were looking for someone. A certain female demon the Spirit World had in their custody. She recently escaped to the Human World, for a reason they didn't know. Their task was to bring her back home safely and to make sure she didn't wreck havoc on the world.

Her age is fourteen, turning fifteen this year. How this information was important was justified by Koenma to be because "you teenagers must know what teenagers like". She's a demon fox just like Kurama, so Kurama must know something about teenage demon foxes.

She has red eyes and auburn hair, standing at approximately 5'4 so probably until Kurama's shoulders. It'll be easy to spot her since she looks like a living and breathing doll. Usually she wears big cardigans that don't fit her, they fall right on her mid-thighs and bunch up on the palms of her hands.

A good confirmation that it really is the girl they're looking for would be her nine tails. She has nine tails that are the same color as her hair fading into white. She also has two ears.

Unfortunately she won't have her tails out at all times. She has the ability to shapeshift. She can even turn into a fox at will.

There are no pictures of the girl because apparently when they try to take pictures of her she ends up running away, hiding, or disappearing.

Now they were circling the town in "inconspicuous" clothes (save for Hiei who said it would be stupid and went with his black cloak). So far they've checked the malls, the coffee shops, even the fashion stores (albeit reluctantly). She wasn't in any of the places typical teenagers would be in.

"Was it wise to bring Kuwabara?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Hiei?!"

"That you're so repulsive the girl is going to end up avoiding us."

Kuwabara tried to hit Hiei, but of course Hiei was too quick for Kuwabara to hit. Kuwabara ended up punching the air while Hiei moved to stand by Yusuke's side. Even he would know when to give up, so Kuwabara just grit his teeth and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Currently they were surveying the crowd. It was a sea of black and brown hair, not a single trace of orange hair.

Yusuke was becoming frustrated with the compass, since somehow this girl is so good she managed to hide her yoki. It was pointed in Hiei and Kurama's direction, never once pointing in another direction.

"It can't possibly be  _ that _ hard to find a girl with orange hair!" Kuwabara complained.

Indeed he was right. In this sea of black and brown haired people, Kurama stuck out like a sore thumb with his red hair, they were expecting the same of an auburn haired girl. She was nowhere to be seen.

At this point they were just about to give up. It's possible that she used her shapeshifting abilities to turn into a different creature, perhaps even a fox, and if she had done that then there should be no way to find her.

Just as they were about to leave, they felt a chill. Everything stopped and they were engrossed in a powerful yoki. Even Hiei felt a chill run up his spine.

Kurama turned his head to the side. He caught sight of a girl. The auburn haired one that they must've been looking for. Her eyes caught his.

Electricity ran through his body, it felt like his senses jumped to a start. Her red eyes were drawing him in deeper. His body was moving out of his control towards her. It was magnetic.

All four of them were released from her powerful yoki when she supressed it. It was like they could breathe again.

None of them spoke. They just knew that they had to chase after that girl before she'd get away again.

* * *

She stopped, her back still turned to them. "If you're done following me around, what can I do for you?"

Her voice was soft and slightly breathy, gentle like the winds of a normal autumn day. Her voice was beautiful in a strange way.

They cornered her, or rather she allowed them to corner her because they honestly doubted that someone whose slipped from them multiple times would do something as stupid as this, in an alleyway far from the sight of other people. Only ever so often would a person pass by. It was the perfect privacy for a confrontation.

She made them tense. It's like she lead them here through a game of cat and mouse. Every twist and turn she made earlier, she could have easily slipped through them but she kept on showing them her presence, urging them to follow close after her.

Just a moment ago she pushed the hood of her jacket down and revealed her two fox ears. She lifted a bit of the jacket up and allowed for her nine tails to slip out. They were all moving teasingly like a bait of some sorts.

"Are you sure that a demon should be parading around in the Human Realm?" Yusuke stepped forward.

"What a shame, I could say the same of you. Two demons, one is a fire demon and the other is a yoko. I smell two humans too."

Not only can she hide her yoki and slip away undetected, she has a sense of smell powerful enough to be able to tell what kind of demons they were.

She turned around to face them and they all stilled.

A demon girl matching Koenma's description of the girl they were missing, but more importantly, a  _ girl _ .

She was really charming their little team when she shouldn't have been. Kuwabara could feel his heart leaping outside of his chest. He turned around to prepare himself and practice over what he should say.

The four boys saw glass-like skin, perfectly carved features, beautiful hair threaded in, shining eyes, a light natural blush on her cheeks, and a perfect figure hiding under a baggy shirt. There was no way that strange-girl-doll beauty was real.

The hair, the eyes, the fox ears, and the nine tails, this is most definitely the girl they were looking for. They didn't expect that she would be this cute, but that's the bonus.

"You're out of luck! It's about time we bring you back to the Spirit World."

"Are you the Spirit Detective? And the whole crew too?"

"I'm not just part of the crew!" Kuwabara quickly turned around to face her. "My name is Kazuma Kuwabara, the man who will surpass Urameshi as Spirit Detective and become your husband!"

Everyone but Kuwabara deadpanned. During a serious mission, he was hitting on their target right after seeing her face. It was already obvious that no, Kuwabara is _not_ her future husband. His proposal was rejected once again.

Yusuke shoved Kuwabara aside and grabbed the girl by the arm. "That's that, let's get you home so we can get this over with."

He dragged her away. She had a bored look on her face. She wasn't the least bit amused, and they feared that she had something else up her sleeve. With that yoki a while ago it really would come as no surprise that it wouldn't be so easy to catch her.

She suddenly stopped, causing Yusuke to halt too. She lifted her arm, the one Yusuke held onto, and she brought it close to her face. She sniffed his exposed skin twice.

_ Human. _

With that confirmed, she licked his arm. Yusuke quickly let go of her arm and jumped away from her.

"Did you just lick my arm?! That was dirty, you brat!"

She raised her hands in faux surrender. "Is that so? I don't really think it's my fault if you can't catch me."

Yuske was done rubbing her saliva off his arm and he saw a single scratch on it. He barely felt her scratch him.

He snapped his head up, along with the rest of the team, and they saw that she no longer had her two fox ears and nine tails. Her pupils that were formerly slits had turned into two normal circles. Even her nails that were formerly sharp to a point had turned into normal cresents.

Now they understood. Through consuming a drop of Yusuke's blood she'll then be able to shapeshift into a human. This process could be the same with other creatures. If she wanted to turn into a mouse she'd need to consume mouse blood first. At least they know that she isn't here for human consumption and she hasn't consumed any humans.

Kuwabara grit his teeth and rushed towards her. She disappeared for a moment and reappeared behind him. In the split second that they couldn't see her, they couldn't feel her yoki either. It's like she really did disappear off the face of the earth for a moment.

This time Hiei advanced, trying to grab her. Each time he tried to grab even a small part of her, she escaped easily. He was getting frustrated, charging at her multiple times to no avail.

Nobody could match Hiei's speed. The problem was in how she disappeared, and if she really was disappearing. Was there a trick behind it?

"My goodness, can you at least try? I'm getting bored." She said in a monotonous voice.

Her teasing clearly worked. Hiei advanced again, she disappeared again. He reached for the back of her jacket, and she somehow appeared in front of him. He tried to kick her down. She was falling and he thought that he'd succeeded.

She disappeared into the floor. Hiei was surprised, the rest of the team was. They heard someone whistle. They snapped their heads towards the sound to find the girl they were supposed to catch standing on top of the garbage can. She gave them a mock salute.

Yusuke jumped towards her trying to grab her with both hands. She easily turned into a small fox with shining auburn fur, jumping out of the way before she could be captured. She turned back into a human as soon as she escaped danger.

"How is she so sly and sneaky!" Kuwabara cried out in frustration.

"Gee, I wonder."

The auburn haired girl put up two peace signs, holding them to her head imitating what should be fox ears.

Taking the oppertunity, Yusuke and Kuwabara ran towards her. She escaped once more.

This time she reappeared right behind Hiei. She was comparing her height to his, clearly frustrating him. He tried to slam her face down and she easily escaped that by disappearing then reappearing by his side.

"What's a kid like you doing here?"

"I'm older than you, bitch."

"Aw, that's cute."

"Don't call me that, bitch."

She imitated moaning with a deadpan face. "Call me a bitch again, daddy."

Upon seeing their disgusted faces, she broke into laughter. Everything she had done was just for her amusement.

This whole thing is a game to her. It might not even be too far out there to say that sneaking out of the Spirit World was part of her game too.

It frustrated them more than anything how one target is escaping them so easily. Not even Hiei could catch her.

Kuwabara and Yusuke ran towards her. She kept on dodging every time they would swipe at her. At this point they disregarded the mission as a whole and they were attempting to at least graze her.

Kurama took this as his oppertunity. While the two boys were distracting her, he brought out his rose whip and threw it at her.

It caught on her arm. He pulled on it, forcing her to come closer. She barely flinched. Her hand tightened its grip on his whip, making her hand bleed.

There was a glow and then an explosion right after she pointed at her blood and said the word "boom". Just that quickly she escaped from Kurama's whip, Yusuke, and Kuwabara all at the same time.

"Nice try."

This time she spared them no time to try and catch her. She disappeared, reappearing on the roof of one of the buildings. She looked down on them. Yusuke balled his hands into fists and glared at her. She matched it with an amused half smile.

"We all have business to tend to, and there's something I need to get done. Hold onto this for me please!" She took off her jacket and tossed it to them. It fell flat on Yusuke's face. "Bye-bye."

She disappeared quickly. They could no longer sense her yoki, nor was there any sight of her. It was clear why the four of them had been sent on a simple retrieval mission. Who knew that catching one teenage girl would be a greater challenge than they expected?

Yusuke grumbled and he ripped the jacket off his face, bunching up the cloth in his hand. He glared at the place Kyuu used to be at.

"She acts like a rebellious teenager!" He yelled as if she could hear his insults.

"Well Kyuu- sama is known for being the Spirit World's problem child." Botan chimed in.

The four of them turned to her. She was sitting on her oar and gave them a wave. They turned right back around silmutaneously to stare at where Kyuu was.

A tick mark appeared on Botan's head, and she desperately wished she could smash all of their heads in, but she knew that now wouldn't be the time.

"Is that how she always is?" Yusuke asked.

"That's only one little part of her that slips through her cold persona."

_ One little part that slips through her cold persona. _

_ Interesting. _

Kurama turned his head to look at the jacket Kyuu threw at Yusuke only to find that Botan had taken it. He figured that what Botan said makes sense. One little part of the whole puzzle.

_ So Kyuu is her name? I wonder... _

Kyuu really is a mystery.

"For such a pretty girl, she has such a dirty mouth."

* * *

As much as the boys wanted to quit, now they had Botan watching over them to make sure that they finish the job. There'll be no escape until they get the girl back.

At the very least they have the closest thing they have to a hint: Botan. Turns out that Botan is actually responsible for Kyuu aside from being a death reaper and Assistant Spirit Detective. The escape happened while Botan left Kyuu alone for only five minutes.

It took her a mere five minutes to escape her guards and alarms.

She left behind a note.

** need to get something. be right back. **

** -kyuu **

Of course, it wasn't comforting nor did they trust the "be right back" she placed at the end of her note, and Koenma quickly sent out Botan to gather up the whole team. His countermeasures aren't a stretch considering how even the four of them couldn't catch Kyuu while she was messing with them.

They'd already recircled half the city, all of them meeting up to share the news that no, nobody found Kyuu.

The whole situation was a blow for all their egos. They'd defeated The Four Holy Beasts but they couldn't catch one fourteen year old demon fox? She must be one hell of a girl to manage a stunt like this.

"Oi, Botan, we're never going to find her!" Yusuke whined.

"Well... you got me there." Botan sighed.

Yusuke whipped his head towards her. "What do you mean?!"

"Look, Kyuu-sama is called Kyuu-sama for a reason. She's a nine-tailed fox and she's obviously going to be strong and elusive."

"You're saying she's stronger than us?"

"Yes."

All four of them fell upside-down. Botan didn't even hesitate for a moment. There was such a gap between theirs and Kyuu's powers that even Botan was starting to doubt them.

Kuwabara was dusting himself off. "So how are we going to catch her?!"

"Don't worry. If Kyuu's here then she'll probably show herself as soon as she gets what she wants."

"What could it be that she wants so badly?"

Botan propped her head on her hand in thought.

"No idea."

The four of them fell a second time. Yusuke rose up first and hit Botan hard on the head, enough for a bump to appear. Comical tears streamed down her face and she placed a hand on her injury.

They continued their walk with now less hope than they'd started with. They were just half-assing their jobs at this point.

They passed by multiple people.

Brown hair. Black hair. Black hair. Black hair. Black hair. Brown hair. Brown hair. Black hair. Black hair. Brown hair. Black hair. Brown hair. Black hair. Black hair. Black hair.

No sign of an auburn haired girl. Yusuke nearly wanted to punch a wall out of frustration. There was no way they could retrieve this girl like Koenma was asking them to.

Right as he was going to declare that he wants to give up, Kurama suddenly stopped. This caused the rest of the group to stop. He didn't say anything, he only pointed in one of the alleys.

Slowly and quietly, they all gathered to the mouth of the alley. Botan had to stand on her tiptoes since she was at the very back to be able to see.

They saw Kyuu, who they haven't seen in a total of two hours and twenty minutes, pining a buff demon to the wall and holding the demon up by their collar. She looked uncharacteristically angry. She snarled at the demon and tightened her grip.

"I'm only asking you one more time. Where. is. Udibakan?" Her voice was more sinister than the innocent one they heard earlier.

It was chilling to see such a calm girl snap. They've only met her once before, and yet they knew that this was out of place for her. Her brash actions, her tone, the desperation was clear.

What is it? What's so important that she went here?

Who is this Udibakan?

"H––he... he's at... at..." The demon rasped out. "For..est in t..he east..... from.... here..."

She released her grip on him hearlessly. The demon coughed out. Without sparing much of a thought, she scratched her arm and let the blood drip down on the demon. She pointed a finger at him.

"Boom."

Simple as that, the area her blood had dripped down on exploded into white light. Her yoki slipped out and they were caught in the terrifying aura all over again.

Even Botan whose supposed to be caring for her was scared. They were all frozen in place staring at her. They were witnesses to her display of power.

"They're not dead. They'll live." Her voice chillingly switched back to calm.

She threw her head back and stared at the sky. She sniffed the air. Right after, she puffed out a long breath. Some pieces of her hair had slipped off her shoulder. She pushed all her hair back on one shoulder while walking off.

Just as she was about to walk past them, Kurama held onto her arm.

"Wait."

"I don't have time for this." She firmly placed her hand over his.

"Let us help you at the very least. Whoever this Udibakan is, we'll help you defeat him."

Their eyes met. Her red eyes were burning with an intensity fueled by her anger. It was as if they really were on fire. His green eyes matched her determination with his sympathy.

The fight was unspoken. It was a fight where the first one to give in loses.

Kyuu grit her teeth and shoved his hand off her shoulder harshly. "Fine."

Kurama was the clear victor.

* * *

This Udibakan is the real name of someone who is known in the Demon Realm as Collector. He has no real combat abilities, he just likes to steal riches for the fun of it. He was one of the more famous thieves, him being a sneaky one that somehow manages to steal things away before anyone notices. He always had a particular liking for jewels so it's no surprise that he made his way into the Human World.

Kyuu is hunting him down. Something of great importance to Kyuu was taken by Udibakan and she wants it back.

Her relaxed persona might as well have died with how tense she was. For the past five minutes that they've been sitting in this midnight bus, the only passengers being them and the bus driver being a reserved and kind old man, Kyuu has been balling her hands into fists and unballing them. The cresent indentions on the palm of her hand made it clear just how long she's been repeating the action. Her skin was so close to breaking, if she repeats her actions just a few more times she's sure to bleed.

Kurama wondered if she did that often. Balling her fists then opening them again must be a habit of hers for when she gets nervous. Getting her trinket back from Udibakan is this important to her.

He realized that he was staring and he ripped his eyes away from her. If she saw him staring then she might take it the wrong way.

Hiei already caught him.

"Don't act like a creep."

"I'm not." Kurama retorted.

"Falling for a girl you just met is so awfully naive."

"I haven't fallen for her. I'm just curious of what kind of person she really is."

They were silent again.

* * *

"A rose, huh?"

Kurama was surprised. Kyuu had just started a conversation, and she wasn't insulting him or anything. It was a genuine inquiry.

"Do you like roses?"

"Not particularly. They can be quite hard to look at."

Emotion was evident in her eyes. They were swimming with something reminiscent of the past but also sadness. Her lips were tugged up to a smile, yet he could still feel the sadness she felt.

Before he could offer any words of comfort or ask any more questions, she pulled him away a split second the opponent they had threw his arm down. There was a crack where they used to be. Had Kyuu not moved them in time then they'd end up heavily injured.

* * *

Kyuu sliced the dead demon's stomach with just her nails. She shoved her hand deep inside the cut. She didn't care how warm the blood felt against her skin, she didn't care that his insides were around her hand nor did she care that whatever was inside him started caking under her fingertips. There was something in there more important than anything in life. A certain something that she needs back no matter what.

Something hard bumped the back of her hand. Her eyes widened in recognition. She quickly grabbed it and forced her hand out of the demon's stomach. Her hand was bloodied and disgusting, a mixture of intestines and blood under her nails, even what she was holding was barely recognizable. She didn't care.

She calmly rose up and stood by the river, placing her hand in it and allowing the cool currents to clean the blood off her. The clear waters had traces of red because of the blood and insides. Slowly, the item in her hand became recognizable.

A beautiful necklace that was slightly rusting. The necklace was so important to her that she broke the rules just to get it back.

It was rather simple. The sliver chain had a pendant on it, a yellow opal at the center and the rims were spreading out like the sun's rays. It looked like a locket but it was so rusted that you just couldn't open it. She didn't care.

A satisfied smile tugged on her lips. She got what she came for.

"You can come out now, Saotome- san ."

An ogre stepped out of the shadows. He looked nervous. The rest of the group turned to look at him, making the poor ogre flinch and creep further into his hiding spot.

He's been present since halfway through the fight. Only Kuwabara and Botan didn't notice his presence. The two started to awkwardly whistle and scratch their heads in a poor attempt to escape the situation.

"K ~~–-~~ Kyuu- sama ! You know you shouldn't sneak out of the Spirit World. It's for your own safety."

"Right, right. Just say that King Enma thinks I'm going to obliterate the human race and take me away." She sauntered over to him and raised her hands. "What? Now that I made you feel bad you're not going to use the yoki cuffs?"

"Kyuu- sama ..."

He brought out two metal bracelets. He placed them on her arms and when he closed them it exploded in electricity. They could feel her yoki slipping away.

How the cuffs weighed her down was evident. She stumbled slightly and her hands were dropped down. She couldn't carry the weight of the yoki cuffs.

The ogre tried to help her but she shoved his hands away.

"Don't touch me."

She stumbled away, slowly getting used to the weight on her arms. Now she could finally lift her hands back.

She paused for a moment, turning around to smile at them. "Thanks. For not catching me before I got this back, I mean."

That smile isn't a monster's smile. It's a grateful smile from someone who just wanted to get something important to her back.

That smile isn't the smile of someone who should be feared. There was no malice in that smile. It was the pure innocence of a girl's smile.

She's just a teenaged demon girl.

There's no way they're about to let her be confined again.

"We're going up there with you to have a talk with Koenma!"

* * *

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were now back in Kuwabara's house. They were staying in his room, which was cramped but they didn't have many options. Koenma sat his baby self on the bed, Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Kurama were simply standing, Kyuu placed her claim on the chair which the ogre Jorge Saotome was forced to stand beside. Botan had disappeared a long time ago.

Hiei had opted not to come. It was typical of him, not like he would bat an eyelash about what happens to a girl that he just met.

It looked like Kyuu wanted to follow. She was sitting so comfortably when they were in front of Koenma, she was upside-down and placed her legs up where her head should be. There was a bored look on her face. She wouldn't look any of them in the eye and opted to stare at her hands while she fiddled with them.

"I'm leaving." She declared coolly. She pushed her legs down to flip herself upright and walked away from them.

"Kyuu!" Koenma called after her like a stressed father would call after his rebellious child. It wasn't too far from the truth.

She paused and turned to look at him with a bored expression. "Do I look like I wanna stick around just to hear you say that I'm not allowed to go live in the Human World?"

When he couldn't say anything in response, she huffed as if saying "told you," and walked to the balcony without a second thought. She disappeared from their sights most likely to sit on top of the roof.

Koenma sighed and sat back down. He massaged his head. "Sorry... she's a problem child."

"I'll check on her." Kurama rose up, heading to where Kyuu used to be.

Yusuke and Kuwabara stared in confusion. "Kurama?"

Is this something Kurama would normally do? Even he didn't know anymore. He just couldn't get rid of this curiosity. He wanted to figure her out.

Hiei is an asshole, but at least he knows that Hiei really is an asshole. He figured that Kyuu isn't  just an asshole like Hiei has a few qualities more to him than just being a dick.

He stepped outside to the balcony and used the rail to push himself up to the roof. There sat the auburn haired girl, hugging her legs and staring up to the ink blue sky. She didn't acknowledge his presence at all. He wasn't expecting her to.

He sat down beside her. She still didn't acknowledge him.

He wanted to say something. He wanted to say anything. There has to be something for the both of them to talk about.

"The weather in the Human World is nice during this season."

He cringed at himself. The weather? Out of all the things he had to bring up the weather? Even he wouldn't want to talk to himself after commenting on the weather of all things.

She simply hummed. "Is that so?"

"Do you not like the weather here?"

She shook her head. "It would be nice if there was a storm. A big storm."

"Do you like the rain?"

"In a way."

_ So she likes the rain. That's something. _

_ Likes big cardigans and the rain. Hates roses. Has a precious mysterious necklace. Snarky with a potty mouth. _

There really wasn't much that he knew about her. She was a puzzle. One that he struggled to figure out, he couldn't find all the pieces and see the whole picture. That's what interested him.

He remembered Botan's words from earlier. The snarky personality is the only one that seeps through her cold outer shell. There was more to her than this and he wants to see it.

"I'm quite fond of the rain myself."

Their conversation died down. It didn't seem like Kyuu minded the silence, but Kurama most definitely did. It was rare for him to be uncomfortable with silence, it was strange for him to want to speak. There was just so much that he wanted to know about her.

He wondered what he could say. Could there be something he'd say that's out of bounds? What should he ask her? Should he say anything at all?

"So... how do you do it? Disappearing."

"How does the short guy move so quickly? You can't explain it. He just does."

_And she's talented._

"You truly are a talented fighter. Speaking of "the short guy", I don't think you caught our names quite yet."

He extended a hand to her nervously. "I'm Kurama, "the short guy" was Hiei."

She took his hand in hers. "Kyuu."

"Your name is quite interesting."

"Your name is... fitting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, everyone! i hope you all enjoyed this first chapter and i hope you're all interested enough in kyuu, because honestly developing her into the mystery girl she's supposed to be is one of the hardest tasks i've ever taken on. i'll try to update as regularly as possible. i'll try to improve on writing fight scenes so that the read won't be too boring but for now i'll have to rest. thank you for reading! i hope that it didn't waste your time. :3
> 
> -sailor eri


	2. UPDATE

Hi, it's your Sailor Eri!!! I'm here to update you all that the previous chapter will be thrown in the trash as part of the older plot. I'll be changing the plot from here. Please tolerate me.

<3 Sailor Eri


	3. Rivalry

Yusuke has spent three weeks in living hell. Training with Genkai is no joke, and it isn't a walk in the park either. Both of which he'd prefer.

It was today, three weeks into his training, that something came to change his perspective on the world.

Or rather, someone.

She's strong. Incredibly strong. Not stronger than Genkai, but strong enough to be recognized by Genkai.

She's strong enough to destroy a sixty year old tree in half with her bare hands. Strong enough to spar with Genkai for thirty minutes as equals.

Hanabi.

A girl who came from nowhere and plopped herself into this training, not necessarily because she wanted to learn Reikohado-ken, because she was bored. The training was mere entertainment for her. Rarely was it ever challenging for her.

He wanted that kind of strength. He wanted to be stronger than her.

"Hey, you there auburn haired bitch!" He chased after her. She stopped and didn't bother turning to look at him. "Spar with me!"

"But you..." She turned to look at him. He took a single step back, he wanted to stand his ground but felt a desperate need to get away from her. Because her eyes... "Are no match for me, Yusuke Urameshi."

She turned away from him. He shouldn't have felt relieved. He should have chased after her, he wanted to fight her. He so desperately wanted to fight with her to prove his worth.

Yet he cowered under her gaze. With only one look from her he already knew that he was no match. Her red eyes were too fitting for the bloodlust mingling with yoki she unleashed. It was like the whole room caved in on him. If he chased her then, it would be like willingly entering the beast's mouth.

He stared at her back, and the awful realization dawned on him.

Is this how Kuwabara feels?

Is this... what it's like to be outmatched?


	4. I Don't Want To See You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanabi holds grudges, and she's been holding this one for a long time.

Hanabi shut her eyes.

_ Fall asleep. _

She's grown used to this. After all the appointments scattered through five months, it'll be a miracle if she isn't.

Her spirit parted from her body. She stepped out the open window, Botan on her oar and waving a hand in greeting. Hanabi pushed herself off the ledge and sat down on the empty space behind her blue haired friend.

The sight of the city from such a high place would be beautiful to anyone else. Hanabi grew weary of it, whether that's because she's had this same trip multiple times already or because she prefers the dense forestry is unknown.

No longer was the city in view. It was covered up by clouds as they approached the Spirit World's kingdom.

Hanabi and Botan pushed themselves off the oar.

"Hey, um... they're here, sort of. You can talk to them if you want." Botan awkwardly suggested while they navigated their way through ogres.

These days Botan learned not to mention  _ their _ names to her. As much as she'd like to restrain herself, Hanabi can't help getting even the slightest bit pissed.

"No thank you."

Botan rushed to match with Hanabi's stride. "He... uh... he really wants to see you."

_ He _ also somehow found out that she's been visiting the Spirit Realm. And by "somehow", she means his superhuman senses. If she could she would avoid her very presence being known by those two but it can't be helped.

Honestly, if he wanted to see her so badly then perhaps he should have reconsidered his actions. If he weren't so reckless she wouldn't be as cross with him.

Besides, she's allowed to do anything she wants to now. Her older brother told her himself. They had an original plan but apparently  _ that _ was thrown out the window as well.

She knew that her brother loved power, she just didn't expect this kind of extent. There has to be limits. Of course she refused to participate in their plan. For one, she never liked their leader. He was crude and cocky while she prefered silent and efficient. Secondly, she isn't a criminal. Fighting is only a means to an end. You don't need to fight. She has no desire to fight. Strength was only a necessity to live in the Demon Realm.

Botan awkwardly cleared her throat and tugged on Hanabi's sleeve. "We passed Koenma's office already."

"Oh."

She didn't realize how she was angrily stomping. She cleared her throat and walked back. Botan pushed the double doors open and they both stepped inside to face the busy Koenma who was stamping papers.

"Hanabi, we were expecting you!" He paused his activities for a moment.

Hanabi nodded in turn.

The discussion then began. Details of her identity in the Human Realm, where she will be living, complications of immigration. It was a little strange for her to see how...  _ understanding _ Koenma was being when the Spirit World doesn't seem to keen on demons. Especially her breed.

Of course, it all suddenly made sense how accepting they were of her when she was assigned to become an assisstant to the current Spirit Detective. The Spirit Realm will never accept a demon if said demon isn't useful.

Speaking of the current Spirit Detective...

Yusuke Urameshi.

He challenged her to a fight. Of course, he's much weaker than her. She would never fight unnecessarily nor will she fight someone she knows she could easily beat unless they were a threat. But she almost said yes. It was strange.

Perhaps this is how her brother felt? Was there something about this one human boy?

"It still boggles my mind! Why are you immigrating to the Human Realm?" Koenma stared at the papers.

"Because I'm running away."

"Why here?"

"Can a powerful demon so easily enter into the Human Realm?"

"No."

"There. You have your answer."

She bowed in respect and turned to leave with Botan following suit. Botan had been... strangely kind, something Hanabi can't understand expecially when she's been distant from the blue-haired girl.

They walked in silence. Silence that Hanabi relished in and Botan obviously loathed. She had her cheeks puffed up like she was forcing her words down.

Any time now, Botan won't be able to handle it and she'll blow up.

In fifteen...

Fourteen...

Thirteen...

Twelve...

Eleven...

"Okay! I can't take this anymore!"

Wow, five seconds. A record for Botan.

Botan grabbed Hanabi's hands, making them stop in the middle of the hallway. "Why won't you go see Kurama?!"

" _ Him _ ? You're not even going to ask about my older brother?"

"Siblings have fights all the time, it's normal! But this is your boyfriend–"

"Place a space between "boy" and "friend"."

"Right, this is the boy who is  _ trying _ to be your boyfriend!" Distasteful to Hanabi, but she'll let it slide. "And you won't speak to him?"

"Of course I won't. I'm angry."

"Can you at least tell him that you're angry?"

"No. He knows."

"He does?"

"Yes." She pointed at the shadowed corner with her thumb. "Because he's right there."

The very boy they were speaking of revealed himself, much to Botan's surprise. She sensed the tension between the two and quickly rushed outside of the room.

The tension became thicker. So thick it could be cut with a knife, or not. Kurama dared to take a few steps closer to her. Despite a large amount of space still being left between them, Hanabi only became angrier because of his actions. Her facial expressions wouldn't show it, but the fire in her eyes did.

He cleared his throat. "You held a conversation with someone other than Hiei and I. I'm impressed."

"I don't care if you're impressed, you almost killed yourself." She spat.

"I'm glad we don't have a filter."

"You  _ know _ I'm mad that you almost killed yourself."

"Um... keyword is "almost"?"

She laughed bitterly and turned away from him. "I can't believe you."

"My mother misses you."

"I don't miss you."

"What a shame. I miss you."

"I bet you missed me a lot when you almost killed yourself."

They were silent again. He couldn't argue with her. Befriending Hanabi was difficult. Begging for her forgiveness is harder.

If there's anything she despises, it's lies. He can't plan what he says or calculate his actions. He isn't allowed to make plans or preparations.

"I was desperate." His voice cracked at the end, showing her a different rawness. He wasn't calculating his ever move now. This is his pure honesty. "My mother was dying, nobody could find a cure, and the only available option was open to me."

There was no way for her to stay angry when he was being this true. She turned around to look at him.

"You're okay for now, pretty boy, but I don't forgive you."

"Nonesense, you're free to kick and punch me until you're satisfied."

Hanabi's face contorted. "You're a disgusting closet pervert."

He laughed at her reaction. It didn't amuse her in the slightest.

He was called into Koenma's office, meaning they won't see each other again. Whether she was disappointed or happy, she didn't know anymore.

"It seems as though I'll need to take my leave."

"Yeah."

No more words were exchanged. They couldn't say anything in the first place.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and turned from her. She averted her gaze to the wall, which is a thousand times better than looking at him while he's walking away. It felt too much like she cared.

"Hana!" He called out to her and she turned around. He pointed a finger to his temple. "Bang!"

She pointed her finger to his head. "Bang."

Kurama smiled to himself in satisfaction. Without realizing it, she had a small smile of her own.

He entered Koenma's office and disappeared from her sight.

Botan popped up. "So... are you sure you two aren't dating?"

"He's  _ not _ my boyfriend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't even begin to explain how nervous i am to develop this story. it's just scary, i'll pull through though!!!  
> <3 Sailor Eri


	5. The Spirit Detective: Yusuke Urameshi

Hanabi spent her past week observing Yusuke. If she's working with him, she might as well pay attention to his weaknesses and strengths for them to have fluid teamwork. Is he even a team player?

From what she knows this Yusuke hates hard work. Like she's one to talk...

He rarely exerts any effort (again, she isn't allowed to judge him). She wondered how he ended up being Spirit Detective. She wondered how he became Master Genkai's student too. Master Genkai appears to rarely tolerate such behavior. His attitude doesn't align with a worthy successor.

He doesn't believe in hard work. He believes that talent is natural. You're born strong and you can't become stronger. If you're good at something then you're good at something. If you're bad at something then you're bad at something.

To add to the list of "Why Yusuke Might Be A Mistake", he smokes and drinks at the age of fourteen. He skips his classes often on a whimsey, barely studies, and he doesn't care about his education.

He's relient on luck, brute force, and he's incredibly simple. His decisions are wild and you never know what he'll do, but when he does do it you'll realize that it makes sense. In simpler terms, he's an idiot.

"Hey! How come girl wonder doesn't need to do this?!" Yusuke complained. A horrible decision for someone meant to be focusing.

Genkai smacked his face. "She's not a student of the Reikohado-ken, stupid!"

"I'm not allowed to learn its secrets." Hanabi added quietly, out of character for her but she couldn't help wanting to add an input.

"Then why are you here?! To make me feel bad?!"

"Preferably."

Yusuke muffled his screams of frustration, making his trials harder. He could almost feel her sadistic smile.

Ever since he asked her to fight him and she had declined, he's grown more and more furstrated with her. He wasn't used to not being the best. Then again, in some way she isn't either. They were too similar.

She learned in her past week of observing the detective she's meant to assist that he has much to learn. He could use an instructor for detective work and not only his fighting skills. It could be of use for future assignments.

"She's here on probation. The Spirit World wants to make sure she's on her best behavior." Genkai explained. "She has a talent for sensing reiki and yoki waves, I'm cultivating it on my own free will."

"Well isn't someone a prodigy." Yusuke muttered to himself.

Hanabi could her him. She fought the urge to laugh at his evident anger. He was like a child holding a grudge. His attitude amused her.

* * *

"What do you make of Yusuke?" Genkai asked Hanabi.

She didn't turn to look at the old woman. She kept here eyes on the dense forestry surrounding the old woman's home.

"I was going to ask you."

"Koenma is expecting you to make Yusuke into a fitting Spirit Detective. You're here to observe him."

"I'm not who they need, and I'm not interested in cultivating Yusuke as a Spirit Detective. I'm more interested in watching him grow."

The Spirit Realm didn't calculate for this specific situation. They were expecting Hanabi to agree without complications.

Genkai glanced at Hanabi. "You don't think he should be a Spirit Detective."

It was a statement. Genkai didn't say it bitterly, it was inquisitive. She wished to know Hanabi's reasons.

"Yusuke Urameshi doesn't need to be a detective. I don't care for his career. I believe those who fight on Yusuke's side do so because of him and not his connection to the Spirit Realm." Hanabi took a sip of her tea. "He doesn't need to be a Spirit Detective."

* * *

For the week Hanabi decided to care about Yusuke as an individual, she found that her mind has changed. Fighting, which was only a means to an end, has become something she desired. At least a fight with that guy.

She found a rival.

"I'll fight you. Someday."

He snapped his head up. She wasn't smirking, there was no camera... she's serious.

"Better get ready to be beaten, prodigy!"

She scoffed. A smile formed on her lips.

She didn't understand what this meant, a new beginning? She wondered how her brother felt.

This guy is strange. Strange in a way she doesn't understand. Yet, even if he is strange, she couldn't help but be amused.


	6. What Are Siblings For?

Hanabi and Hiei stood oppsite to each other. He was leaning on a tree while she stood up straight. Neither of them turned to look at each other. Anyone could randomly walk past and believe that they were about to fight.

Perhaps that was true.

They had been standing there in silence for nearly twenty minutes. Hiei would never say it, but he was stressed. Silence with Hanabi is either good or bad. He knew this silence was bad, he messed up after all.

Growing up with Hanabi (or raising her), he already knew that there is no way to make her any less angry. She isn't violent, letting her use him as a punching bag won't help. She never had a desire to express her anger through insults either. She isn't materialistic, giving her gifts will only worsen her mood. Acting like everything is normal is the worst decision. She'll only come to be angrier.

Her frustration makes interaction with her a minefield. One wrong move will result in everything blowing out of proportion in one hellish way or another.

Even someone like Hiei isn't ready for that.

Hanabi noticed his stress and sighed. "I'm not mad at you, Nii-san."

"Of course you aren't." Hiei glanced at her and scoffed.

It would seem like he was being rude to outsiders, but outsiders didn't have the familial bond they did. Hiei was only acting brave when in reality he was relieved. Even Hiei can't escape from Hanabi's wrath nor can he escape when she holds a grudge.

"I know you. I can't change that." She sighed a second time. "I'm only mad that you were caught."

"I didn't mean to leave you alone for that long."

"It's fine."

Hiei finally felt like he could breathe. He'll never tell, but he even smiled.

"When I told you "You can do anything you want," I wasn't expecting you to immigrate." Hiei said.

"I'm running away. Of course I would immigrate."

"Well, it's your choice then."

"It is."

They fell silent. Four crows screeched above their heads as they passed by, a premonition for something bad.

"It was for Koutaro, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"I'll bet the Spirit Realm wanted him."

"His dad asked me for help."

"I told you to do what you want, stop doing things out of obligation."

"It isn't obligation. Besides, it isn't  _ too _ bad here."

From the way he eyed her, she knew he was doubting her. She made a reputation for not being the type to settle and immigration is exactly that.

Not to mention just how much he despises it here. If he had a choice, he never would've come. On a more positive note, it shows his determination and how much he loves his family.

"How do you feel about Yusuke Urameshi?" She insinuated.

He caught on. "I feel that he's a fool."

"A fool who managed to defeat you."

Hiei grumbled in annoyance, amusing Hanabi.

Yusuke was enigmatic to them. They couldn't understand him, and they couldn't understand what it was about him.

For one, he truly is an idiot. Luck is his partner in life and he's relying on it too much. He's often a quitter the minute things get tough. He has multiple flaws and it would take more than a lifetime to name them all.

But at the same time he has multiple redeeming qualities. It will take more than two lifetimes to list all of them.

It's almost like he doesn't think at all.

Though they were unsure about Yusuke himself, the knew one thing:

With him, the Human Realm is more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't do chapter summaries and i need to apologize for that. the real canon plot will follow soon in two chapters! watch out for that!!!  
> <3 Sailor Eri


	7. Demons Don't Need Friends

Yusuke collapsed to the ground. The victor was evident.

Hanabi and Yusuke had their promised fight. It was, surprisingly, enjoyable for once. There was something about fighting Yusuke.

Despite him having a straightforward and simple fighting style, she found that fighting him is difficult. Her brother wouldn't lose to any normal person, after all. He kept up with her pace and there were moments she felt like she would lose. He kept improving every time she brought him down. If she had ended things any later, she really would have lost.

Strangely it felt... satisfying.

Hanabi will fight Yusuke again. She knows she will.

He crashed on the space beside her. "I feel like Kuwabara..."

Hanabi cocked her head to the side in question.

"Oh, Kuwabara is some guy from my school. He keeps picking fights with me. It's annoying as hell, but that guy's kinda righteous... and there's Keiko! God, she keeps mothering me, you know? Always nagging. Then she acts like she doesn't care–"

She doesn't have to listen. For some reason, she wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think we all need a friend like Yusuke :)


	8. Four Holy Beasts...? But There Are Five of Us! One of Us Will Be Useless In This One!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Four Holy Beasts causing trouble in the Human Realm, Koenma sends the Spirit Detective Yusuke to deal with the problem. But is he enough?

Out of all the things Koenma has ever done, assembling this team must be the most genius plan of his yet.

They all cooperated in perfect precision. All of the insignificant demons were so easily vanquished, and they all had varying strengths that would be helpful later on inside the Labyrinth Castle.

It was terrifying just how amazing the team they had assembled was. The Four Holy Beasts themselves must be a trivial matter compared to them.

...until they all erupted into "who are you"'s.

To introduce these individuals, we first need to introduce our protagonist.

Yusuke Urameshi is the former delinquent turned Spirit Detective. After a brush with death, he was reincarnated with the catch that from now on he would have to defeat evil demons using his spirit energy.

Today Yusuke has just been tasked to defeat the Four Holy Beasts hiding away at the Labyrinth Castle in Demon City, and should he fail destruction awaits his own city in the Human Realm.

This is a task that could never be completed alone, which is where the four other members come in.

Kazuma Kuwabara, a man who loves his city and (with no success) flirts with every beautiful girl he sees. He accompanied Yusuke for two reasons: A. He wants to impress Botan (the cute blue-haired assisstant detective), and B. He doesn't want to see his city be destroyed. He has a habit of getting beaten up by none other than Yusuke, who he has a one-sided rivalry with. Despite his brash attitude, he isn't that bad of a guy. You can ask his pet kittens yourself.

Hanabi, a spirit animal that Yusuke happened to meet while he was training under Master Genkai. She's detached, but she also looks like a living doll. People let her attitude slide just because of her face. Unlike her name, she isn't explosive in the slightest. The Spirit Realm themselves approved of her immigration, so she's probably good? Her favorite mode of transportation is umbrella apparently, based off the way she glided down from the sky through an umbrella. Her favorite weapon is also umbrella, based off the way she smacked the weak demons away with just one swing of her umbrella.

Kurama, another spirit animal who was formerly a convicted criminal. He was caught by Yusuke, who actually cut him some slack because all of his crimes were commited for the sake of saving his ill mother whom he learned to accept and love in his time in the Human Realm. Now he must participate in this mission to clear his record and go back to his regular human life. He's the kind of guy all other guys hate, because he's the type of guy the ladies love. He has a refined way of speaking, he's intelligent, he cares for his mother, he isn't afraid of his feminine side, he's the perfect boyfriend except he's actually a demon fox who has no interest in love.

Hiei, another demon who was also a convicted criminal. He was caught by Yusuke, and now has sworn his revenge against the guy when they're supposed to be cooperating in a mission. There's still little known about his past and even less about his intentions, however his speed and swordsmanship is second to none in the team. We also know that he's a dick.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't the thieves and the prodigy girl." Yusuke said. "What are you three doing here?"

"Vacation." Hanabi answered him sarcastically.

Yusuke "ignored" her by forcing her into a headlock and aggressively messing her hair up.

"Even that fool Koenma knows you're not strong enough to take on this mission alone." Hiei said.

Kurama explained his and Hiei's predicament. If they were to assist with this certain task, their charges will be lifted by the Spirit Realm. Yusuke reacted positively to this for reasons they couldn't fully understand.

Hanabi looked up at Yusuke and smiled to herself. She felt affirmed in her feelings. Yusuke doesn't need to be Spirit Detective. Being Spirit Detective is only a mere stepping stone.

The three of them were introduced to Kuwabara, who didn't understand anything that had happened but he was good-natured about it, exactly like Yusuke told Hanabi.

"I don't have a clue what's going on, but I'm always glad to have more help!" Kuwabara smiled.

His celebration was cut off by Hiei's declaration that he felt as if the mission was the equivalent of babysitting. He told Kuwabara and Yusuke to rely on the three demons on the team, adding insult to injury he also declared that the three of them were already in a higher level than the two humans. He made the mistake of saying that he'll take revenge on Yusuke, only angering Kuwabara further. Clearly Hiei didn't think of it as a mistake.

Kuwabara was all choked up on Hiei's words, while Yusuke didn't mind at all. He even promised Hiei a fight after the Four Holy Beast's defeat. Hanabi couldn't help but cling onto his words. She didn't understand how one man could be foolish enough to trust in someone with Hiei's behavior. Hiei is her brother, she knows better than anyone that he's more trustworthy than he seems at first but it took her years to peel back those layers.

Is it possible that Yusuke knows? No, Yusuke isn't the kind of guy who thinks too hard about anything...

Yusuke is blindly trusting Hiei.

The very thought made Hanabi smile. Being an idiot might not be such a bad thing.

She forced herself out of Yusuke's headlock and flipped her hair. Kuwabara stared at her, finally realizing that she is, in fact, female.

"More important than anything!" Kuwabara cleared his throat and walked towards the auburn haired member of the team. The only girl in the team. He got down on one knee and held her hand tenderly in his. "I'd like to ask for your hand in marriage."

The group deadpanned at his typical behavior.

Hiei sucker punched Kuwabara. "Don't you dare even  think about Hanabi like that!"

"Nii-san..." Hanabi sighed.

""Nii-san"?!"

"Hiei and Hanabi are siblings. You'll realize they can be quite similar."

Yusuke and Kuwabara turned to look at the two. They realized the resemblance, with both the siblings even standing alike.

Hanabi is a bitch, and Hiei is a dick. Both of them have red eyes. Both of them are short (as much as Hanabi would argue that standing just at Kurama's shoulders is "tall", it really isn't).

"It makes sense."

"No it does  not! " Kuwabara shook his head. He dramatically framed Hanabi's form with his hands. "This girl is a complete babe!" He pointed an accusatory finger to Hiei. "And this is... THIS!!!"

Hiei lifted a hand to hit Kuwabara, and Hanabi subtly pushed it down.

"You'd be surprised. Both of them enjoy going on strange adventures." Kurama laughed, knowing something the two humans of the group didn't. "Like Hana's sudden official immigration to the Human Realm and Hiei stealing artifacts from the Spirit Realm."

"Is that so?" Hanabi finally spoke more than one word. "Did you know Kurama also likes getting arrested?"

Kurama flinched. They still haven't fully made up...

Yusuke broke them up. "Hold on! What is going on here?!"

"Yeah... it's like a reuinion. You three know each other or something?" Kuwabara added.

"More or less." Hanabi shrugged.

"Vague as always, I see."

Yusuke ignored their banter and laughed happily. Cooperation might be easier if the three demons in the group know each other.

"Oh right! I remember Kurama mentioning a "Hanabi", I never would've dreamed that it's you!" Yusuke smiled. "When Kurama took me to see his mother I remember–"

"Yusuke." Kurama's tone rose in warning, and his cheeks were stained pink.

"No, no. There's no escape here, Kurama. You said–"

"I believe the mission is a higher priority."

"Is that so?" Hanabi eyed him. She tilted her head to the side and muttered something about all the men in her life being difficult.

"You're right, and this is perfect! You three know each other!" Yusuke clapped Hanabi and Hiei's backs, in which they both looked down to the ground in response further proving that they really are siblings. "We're totally a perfect team."

"Can you sound a little more confident?"

"Shut up, Hanabi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're finally in the Four Holy Beasts Arc! i'm hoping i can let my Hanabi shine through in this one


	9. The Gate of Betrayal - Yusuke's Trust

They stood at the castle's entrance. It looked incredibly inviting, it was shaped like a skull and they would enter through the mouth. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Kuwabara decided that simply entering without hesitation is the obvious answer, and his plan is idiotic, as Hiei pointed out through an insult. This made Kuwabara furious all over again making the three other teammates tired.

Hanabi swept her leg under their feet causing the two to fall. They stared at her in disbelief.

She ignored the betrayal in their eyes and picked up a small stone. She rolled the stone into the cave's mouth.

"Excellent thinking, Hana." Kurama complimented.

"Nothing happened. Let's go."

Hanabi sauntered in with the grace of what is expected of a leader. Everyone else followed behind with no particular order. Kuwabara stared at her with lovestruck admiration while Yusuke grumbled about her being a prodigy.

There seemed to be nothing suspicious. Cobblestone walls and flooring surrounded them, some chipped and cracked because of age.

They walked swiftly, as they should when one makes their way through enemy territory. The group could somewhat see the end of the tunnel. They could see the small stone Hanabi had thrown lying there. Nothing appeared to be dangerous.

Except for the eyeball with wings that was flying towards them.

Wait...

An eyeball with wings?!

"Are you guys... uh... seeing this?" Yusuke asked in disbelief.

"We're in Demon City, all kinds of non-human beings will appear." Hanabi answered.

They had no line of action. They stood defensively, prepared to attack or defend. They decided to patiently wait for it to act first. Who would know how to deal with a floating eyeball anyway?

"Welcome to Labyrinthe Castle." It greeted them with a hollowed, somewhat robotic voice.

They weren't about to answer it.

"Woah! It talked!" Kuwabara stared in amazement.

Apparently, they were about to answer it, because there is absolutely no danger in such an action.

"Those who enter Labyrinthe Castle must be tried by the Gate of Betrayal."

_ Gate... of Betrayal...? _

"What do you mean tried?" Yusuke questioned.

His question was left unanswered. They were yet to enter the castle and they were already about to face a trial. As one should expect from the Four Holy Beasts.

It stared at them and they stared back. It was a somewhat intense battle. There was no telling what it would do, nor what it will be able to do except for talk, as Kuwabara pointed out earlier because nobody else could tell that the floating eye was able to talk.

Once it stared for long enough, it turned away from them. A small part of the wall slid up on its own, revealing a lever. The eyeball pulled the lever with one of its disgusting... legs? Tentacles? In the same instant, the room shook.

With no idea what or where the shaking was coming from, they didn't know whether they should attack or defend. They couldn't see what or who was coming.

"Urameshi..." Kuwabara began. "Why did you have to ask?!"

Because, apparently, this strange eyeball creature would have left them alone if only Yusuke didn't ask.

The room continued to shake, with the threat still remaining unidentifiable. Kurama and Hanabi snapped their heads up, alerting the rest of the team at the same time.

The ceiling dropped down and began to crush them. Everyone was macerated by its weight. The ceiling was pushing them down slowly but surely.

"Heavy, isn't it?"

The eyeball explained how this "Gate of Betrayal" functions. It has sensors built in that can determine the strength of those entering and apply tension matching exactly their strength which explained their struggle.

Enough laxity is provided for only one person to make the escape. Either you die with the rest of your team or one betrays them all to live. Hence, the "betrayal" in the name "The Gate of Betrayal".

They were pressured by this obstacle, there was seemingly no way out except for treachery. Not only that, but they were being physically pressured by the tensions just as expected.

A single moment for one to falter, destroying the minimal teamwork they established.

Chaos immediately erupted. Hiei calling Kuwabara out, Kuwabara calling Hiei out, Hiei getting pissed at Kuwabara, their back and forth, Kurama warning Hiei not to betray them, and finally, Yusuke getting mad at them for talking. Hanabi was the only one cooperating at that point. A majority of her cooperation came from her spacing out, which won't be helpful later on.

It would be a wonder if they can get out of this alive...

* * *

Through luck and trust, the group was able to just barely escape the Gate of Betrayal. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hanabi were nearly crushed under its weight without Hiei to support his end, but Hiei pulled through and pulled the lever in order for them to escape.

He pretended to betray them. His performance was amazing, it almost made Hanabi doubt her own brother. What was most amazing was how Yusuke reacted.

She saw it with her own eyes. Yusuke's unshakable faith in Hiei, even when Hiei was acting as if he would betray them all.

Spirit Detectives don't have such traits. It's even discouraged for them to have such traits. They're meant to segregate from demons and treat demons as the enemy.

Yusuke really isn't a Spirit Detective, and that makes Hanabi a little happier.

Yusuke smacked Hiei's back with a large smile on his face. He sighed in relief, complaining about not feeling his hands and almost being convinced by Hiei's acting.

Hiei couldn't handle the compliments and pretended that he wasn't acting at all. He quickly left the scene, making Kuwabara bitter.

"Huh." Her tone was insightful. She stared at where Hiei was standing. "Nii-chan wasn't like that before."

Hiei never had anyone place such faith in him, save for Hanabi but Hanabi is a different case. Someone trusting in him is a change. A welcome change.

It was clear to see just how much Hiei was changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hanabi wanted to pop off on Kuwabara for this entire ecounter i feel bad for her


	10. Kurama VS Genbu - A Calm Fight

Yusuke's group moved forward, observing the famous Labyrinthe Castle for themselves. The building was made almost entirely of stone, decorated by arches and sculptures only an immature child will be afraid of. Chandeliers of blue fire lit their path.

A loud ringing interrupted their serious thoughts about the castle, and it made Kuwabara jump. The ringing was sourced from Hanabi. She fished out a compact mirror from her skirt pocket and tossed it to Yusuke. He caught it in one hand and stared at it curiously.

"Communication Compact, it's Botan." She explained though she didn't explain enough.

He opened the compact and saw Botan's face instead of his reflection. She, after Kuwabara's awful attempt to flirt, explained the situation on the Human Realm. She continued to explain how Makaichu infest humans. They only take home in humans who have colluded minds which narrows down the search. Additionally, she also found a spy for the Four Holy Beasts and took the weakling down. Based on her theory, the Four Holy Beasts are hiring weak demons at the edge of Demon Realm's border to work for them.

Unfortunately, the Makaichu are intelligent enough to hide themselves and Botan was only able to kill fifteen of them. She asked the group to rush the process, while at the same time allowing them to know that nobody else had defeated the Four Holy Beasts before.

They continued down their path with Yusuke deep in thought.

"Kurama, what do you know about these Four Holy Beasts?" Yusuke asked. "Botan pushed us down that hole like a bunch of cows and I didn't have the chance to ask her."

"She wouldn't have told you much, I'm afraid." Kurama answered, surprising Kuwabara. "Ever since the barrier was raised, Spirit World intelligence virtually forgot this place even existed."

Kuwabara and Yusuke both lifted a brow in confusion. They couldn't understand what he meant at all.

"They don't look like us, and you shouldn't create a human image in your mind." Hanabi nodded. "Nii-san used to tell me about the Four Holy Beasts as a bedtime story."

"What kind of a bedtime story is that?!" Kuwabara and Yusuke stared at Hiei with an equal mix of shock and disgust.

"An educational one." Hiei answered simply.

Kuwabara and Yusuke added it to their mental list of "Hanabi and Hiei Did Not Have A Childhood". It will be a steadily growing list.

"Let's just say that when you see their bodies you will be very surprised." Kurama elaborated.

""Terrified", isn't that more like it?" A gravelly voice corrected him.

They all snapped their heads around the area, trying and failing to find the source.

"There's a door behind you. Take it."

Followed by the voice's instructions, the lights in the room burned brighter revealing the said door behind the group. They turned around and stared at it for a moment. Unlike the first doorway they stepped into, this one wasn't particularly eerie. Despite its simplistic look, the voice that called out to them made the door they were to pass through feel more sinister than the first.

Kuwabara and Yusuke pushed the door open. The group paused.

It was a room made of mismatched stones and concrete different from the organized bricks that made up what they had seen of the castle. A pillar stood not too far from the doorway holding one of the many scattered torches that will light the room.

"Ladies first." Yusuke stepped aside for Hanabi.

She breezed past him with a sigh. "Lazy jackass second."

"What I wouldn't give to slap you..." He walked in nonetheless.

He grabbed the torch that was being held up by the pillar they passed and threw it to the ground with a thud. It bounced, and as it bounced it will later bring to light something sinister.

Hanabi held out a hand to prevent the group from moving further into the room.

"Stop." The air became chillingly tense. "We're not alone."

A shadow was revealed, a large one that, as Hanabi and Kurama had prepared the group to see, didn't look human. Their eyes widened in shock. Kuwabara even took a few steps back because of his surprise.

"Welcome, trespassers." The gravelly voice greeted them.

They could finally see who, a better way to place it would be what, the voice was coming from. Glowing yellow eyes and spikes sprouting from its head, there was no better word to place the creature than a boulder with arms, legs, and a tail.

"Okay. I'm surprised." Kuwabara said.

"I am Genbu of the Four Holy Beasts." The boulder introduced itself. "Any requests before you die?"

"Yeah, tell me how a beast is holy, I'm lost." Yusuke asked.

Ignoring Yusuke's sarcastic remark, Genbu explained the group's circumstances. "The stairwell is the only way up the castle. You can either defeat me and go up on your own, or be dragged there once you're dead!" He lifted his tail and smacked it down on the floor leaving a large crater. "Why don't you all attack me at once? Then the last one won't be lonely."

Kuwabara, once more, pointed out the obvious in a state of pure shock. "He's a talking rock, Urameshi! How are we supposed to fight against a talking rock?!"

"Paper."

"Shut up, Hanabi!"

Kurama stepped forward exuding a calm Kuwabara could not. The other four turned to look at him.

"I will fight him."

"You sure?" Yusuke asked.

"It will be ill-advised for all of us to attack him at once without first knowing his powers." He turned to Hiei. "Besides, I can hardly let Hiei take all the credit for this mission."

Hanabi cocked a brow. "And I'm supposed to be useless?"

Kurama smiled at her and said nothing. More beats of silence went by, Kurama not answering her question which egged her on.

A visible red tick mark appeared on her head. Her brow twitched and Kuwabara swore her eyes were on fire. She laughed a sinister laugh as she stared at Kurama.

"You're dead, Minamino.  _**Dead**_. "

Kurama ignored her, adding insult to injury, and walked towards Genbu. Between Hanabi and Genbu, Genbu was the smaller threat which means Kurama made a great decision.

Yusuke stared in concern. "Shouldn't he be leading Genbu under the chandelier or something?"

Hanabi whipped her head around to stare at him. She cocked a brow. "Are you serious?"

Yusuke's expression turned into one of confusion, and Hanabi scoffed.

"Kurama is far from weak. Actually, I've had 139 wins and 98 losses to Kurama."

"98?! That's so much!"

"And other than that, Nii-san wouldn't choose just anyone into his team. In fact I've never seen Kurama and Nii-san fight. Most likely for good reasons..."

"Watch." Hiei interrupted their conversation, averting Yusuke and Hanabi's attention back to the fight beginning between Genbu and Kurama. "He's more cutthroat than I am in battle and unbelievably precise."

Hanabi coughed loudly. "And reckless." She cleared her throat.

Hiei didn't glare at her and Kurama flinched, meaning there was some truth to her words.

Kuwabara looked on with wide eyes still not having gotten over the fact that Genbu is a talking rock. In his human mind, there is no way to destroy a rock. It's a standard mindset that Yusuke surprisingly didn't completely have. Then again Yusuke is a fool. They shouldn't expect anything logical from him.

Nevertheless, Kurama continued forward disregarding the human member's of the team's concerns. He confidently handed the first move to Genbu as he usually would in fights. His voice didn't falter and his legs had no shake. A distinctive and borderline disturbing habit of his that was uncommon of many fighters.

Despite Hanabi and Hiei's faith in Kurama, Hanabi herself had doubts that the fight would continue smoothly. Knowing Kurama, the fight  _will_ end in their victory but while their victory was guaranteed more work for Hanabi was as well.

Anticipation nestled in their stomachs. They were practically buzzing, some members of the team showing it more than the others. Their eyes were completely glued on the two fighters.

Kurama gave Genbu the freedom to attack first and yet he hadn't. It was all too suspicious.

"Hey! Stone Man's doing something freaky with his tail!" Yusuke pointed out.

Sure enough, they could see something "freaky" happening with the beast's tail. It was molding with the ground. The group couldn't understand how nor what the intentions were of such an action.

Genbu's tail sprouted from behind Kurama. He noticed, thankfully, and jumped up managing to avoid being impaled by its sharp end. He still had a large gash on his stomach. He used what was left of his strength to safely land on the ground with one knee. He groaned in pain, causing the rest of the team to grow in concern.

Hanabi whistled, she lacked the concern the rest had. "See what I mean?"

Kuwabara and Yusuke snapped their heads to her with looks of equal shock and question. "He was nearly impaled! Where's the concern?!"

"Kurama!" She ignored them, muttering under her breath how difficult it is to cure large open wounds. "If you get injured any more than that, I'll double your bill!"

"Duly noted." Kurama answered her despite his tough situation.

Genbu pulled his tail up from where he molded it with the ground. The group's questions increased, they wondered what Genbu's ability might be.

They wouldn't need to wonder for long.

Because of his body structure, Genbu is able to become one with any rock. The entire room was made of such material meaning that escape and victory will both be difficult.

Kurama pushed himself up despite the injury. He was prepared to fight again, on his own. He even told them that he didn't want their help.

Genbu ridiculed Kurama's decision. Both fighters had confidence in themselves and neither will back down. Still, there may only be one victor.

Genbu began to melt into the floor. From that point on, he can appear from anywhere which was a great cause for concern. Kuwabara urged Kurama to act.

The pressure was on, Kurama was injured, Genbu will soon be naked to the eye, and yet Hanabi still lacked the concern the other members of the group had. It's almost she knew something even Kurama himself didn't.

The room became quiet. It was an eerie silence only made somewhat better by the crackling of the fire. Genbu was no longer in sight and his energy disappeared as well.

Genbu suddenly popped up from behind Kurama, which Kurama knew he would do. What Kurama didn't know Genbu would do was to send his tail as well on the other side. He was being attacked from both sides.

He jumped away from Genbu's front attack and thankfully slipped away from the tail attack. Genbu disappeared once more.

The room was quiet again.

Kurama was darting his eyes back and forth from random sections of the room. Genbu can be anywhere...

Under!  


Genbu sprouted up, and once again Kurama managed to jump up before he was greatly injured. He flipped away from Genbu's tail and Genbu disappeared once more.

This time they weren't enveloped in silence.

Genbu laughed, and they couldn't find where he was through his voice. "You can never defeat me by just running away."

Kurama smiled confidently with the same faith in himself as Hanabi's conviction in him. "Yes, Genbu, I believe you're right."

He flipped his hair and reached behind his neck. He brought out a rose, a strange object to resort to in a life-or-death battle. Kuwabara and Yusuke even began doubting Kurama.

"A flower?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

Kuwabara cocked a brow. "Now that's weird... if he's trying to win the beast over, I don't think that's a good idea. Flowers don't work on Hanabi, after all."

"It's not flattering to compare a lady to a beast, Kuwabara, food for thought." Kurama said. "And this is no ordinary flower."

He twirled the flower's stem between his fingers and the petals glided away from it. The petals covered the room, giving it a sweet scent. One of the petals fell on Hanabi's palm and she pressed it between the pads of her fingers.

Kurama swung his arm to the side with a firm grip on the rose's stem. "Rose whip!" The stem extended and the thorns grew larger into a formidable weapon.

The petals had a specific sparkle to them. It was like they were different colored gems flitting around. A spectacle that delinquents like Yusuke and Kuwabara, and demons like Hiei, didn't appreciate.

"Well... everything's covered in roses."

"It smells girly. I don't think I like it."

"Oh sure, I'm sure a tough guy like you would be obsessed with kittens."

"Shut up!"

"Kuwabara has cats?" Hanabi raised a brow.

Kuwabara cleared his throat. "I absolutely do not."

"Shame."

"I absolutely do, actually, you should come over some time."

Ignoring how Kuwabara is so desperate for positive female attention, Genbu laughed once more. "You still don't understand your problem. What good will a fancy whip do to tell wher I am?"

"Yes. Not being able to find you  _is_ a problem." Kurama was confident in himself.

Genbu was annoyed by this brimming confidence and promised that he'll make sure that Kurama will become fearful of him. Such a declaration still didn't bother Kurama in the slightest.

The tension remained in the air but Kurama's confidence made it all the more soothing.

His grip on his weapon tightened, and he snapped his head up to the ceiling. "Found you!"

Sure enough, Genbu did appear from the ceiling. Kurama had already gained the upper hand. It was far too late for Genbu to change directions and Kurama was well-prepared.

He swung his whip in several directions rapidly and precisely. Each swing of his arm was well-calculated.

"It's over." Hiei declared.

"The thorns on Kurama's whip are tough enough to cut through metal. A rock is nothing." Hanabi continued.

Multiple parts of Genbu's body fell apart. His head, his tail, his arms and legs. Genbu couldn't comprehend how Kurama managed such a feat, no less finding him.

Kurama answered Genbu's question. "Your stench."

Because he had enveloped the room in a floral scent, Genbu was easier to trace. His nauseating smell stood out amidst the rose aroma.

Genbu's head tilted over to the side and his eyes rolled up. A sign of victory for Kurama.

He wore a proud smile as the rest of their little team approached him, Hanabi leading. She tugged his shirt up and inspected the wound. She whistled. Not a good sign from Hanabi.

"You're going to owe me a lot, pretty boy. I don't work for cheap. This is one deep wound, and your human body means double time."

"I'm well aware, Hana. We'll speak business at a later time."

Yusuke and Kuwabara interrupted what appeared to be Hanabi's illegal drug syndicate with praise for Kurama.

"That's no fair! Why isn't it that one of my fights could end that quick?"

"You did it in one blow! Now that's what I call a wimp!"

The two had no clear grasp of the world of fighting between demons. They were thinking with human minds.

"Idiots." Hiei insulted the two. "It's only looked easy because Kurama was the one fighting. If you were to fight, you would have died in under a minute."

"And this injury is no easy feat. Only a master cretin will be able to manage such a severe wound." Hanabi added before Kuwabara had the chance to explode on Hiei. She tightened her grip on his shirt as some form of instruction. "Don't move too much. I'll inspect this for a few minutes more."

Kuwabara, still, erupted and made an attempt to brag about his victories to both prove a point to Hiei and impress Hanabi. It only caused Hiei and Kuwabara to banter once more with Yusuke attempting to straighten them.

He smiled down at her, despite his full awareness that he'll owe her a great debt. He always hired her as his healer. She's the most accurate, after all. She's even better than him when it comes to medicinal herbs and that in itself is no easy feat. Apart from being an excellent fighter, she's well-educated in the sanative studies.

During these medical appointments, he noted small habits of hers. She pokes her tongue out when she focuses greatly in her tasks. Her ring finger will ghost over the wound when she's developing a proper cure in her head. On occasions where she's close to discovering her newest medicine, her lips will tug upwards slightly. Barely noticably.

He snapped out of his thoughts when she sighed. An annoyed sigh meaning she's once again disappointed in him. To his misfortune, he is also familiar with this specific habit of hers.

She lowered his shirt back down. His eyes trailed downwards, following her hands and his eyes widened in surprise. He was distracted, he allowed himself to be vulnerable, and the battle wasn't quite over yet.

There was a problem: Genbu's body was gone.

Life isn't like the video games. There is no way Genbu's body will disappear into thin air, he's a rock. A rock who has the ability to blend into any stone and use such a skill to attack them.

Kurama's eyes widened catching on a familiar scent. He quickly pushed Hanabi away, leaving his arm open. She caught herself before she collided with the ground which Kurama was thankful for. He wouldn't be so relieved for long as Genbu aimed for that open spot and severed Kurama's arm off just below his elbow. He grunted in pain. The rest of the team cried out.

"Jesus, Kurama! I could have avoided that blow!" Hanabi scolded Kurama.

"Apologies, Hana, I acted on impulse. Can you add it to my medical expenses?"

"If you can live to pay that stupid bill."

Those uninvolved in the fight stepped aside as spectators. The brawl became more intense and the stakes had risen.

Kurama lost his arm. His  arm . How will he explain this to his mother? How will the Spirit Realm atone?

Genbu laughed, basking in his glory. "You can disassemble me all you like. I'll put myself back together every time."

They felt disgruntled by Genbu. There appeared to be no resolution in sight for this battle. It's a possibility that it contines until Kurama becomes weary and Genbu will take advantage of that weakness to completely kill him.

Genbu wanted nothing more than to play with Kurama more before killing the poor demon. He disassembled his body and threw the pieces of himself towards Kurama.

Kurama used his whip once more to completely crack down Genbu's stone body into near dust. The team felt relief, which Genbu destroyed soon after.

The beast reassembled himself again solidifying his claim of being able to perform such an action repeatedly. Creating a more difficult situation, Genbu became bored of the fight between himself and Kurama dragging on. He wanted to end the fight.

Genbu's body disassembled by his will. They all became much smaller pieces, and all of them sharp enough to cut. These tiny parts all flew towards Kurama at once. He was already at a great disadvantage, fighting with one arm alone, and he could only do so much with his whip.

Hanabi cringed wondering how many stones may have grazed Kurama's open wound. She sent a reluctant Kuwabara to fetch Kurama's arm on the other side while Genbu was distracted. The arm was safely in her arms for later.

For a second time, Genbu disassembled his body once more. The beast struck Kurama with the intention to end the boy's life. Despite it being an attack that Kurama can so easily deflect, Kurama allowed for the stones to cut away at his skin. His friends called out in obvious concern.

Disregarding their concern and the beast's taunts, Kurama allowed himself to smile and laugh in confidence. Perhaps he had gone mad but Hanabi knew otherwise. Kurama will never bluff. He had done something. Something that guarantees his victory.

Genbu pieced himself together again. His head was placed between his legs, making Kuwabara and Yusuke burst into laughter over an immature joke.

In the midst of this attack, Kurama had grabbed a certain piece of Genbu into his hand.

Kurama had a long and complicated explanation for why it was integral to Genbu's structure, an explanation Hanabi blanked out from a mere minute into it. Clearly Yusuke and Kuwabara were similar.

Genbu plead for his life. His cries were ignored.

He tossed the glowing red stone up and swung his whip, quite a feat for someone who had only one arm. He caught what was left of the stone while Genbu erupted into dust signifying their team's victory.

His strength dwindled and he fell to his knees with a grunt. His whip had fallen to his side while his hand gripped what was left of his other arm tightly. The group rushed to his side, Hanabi leading the charge. She eased him against one of the pillars, lifting his arm and inspecting the injury.

Her brows were furrowed. Not good.

He had exerted himself, making his state worse than what it had been earlier.

She whistled. "This  is expensive."

"I thought so." He opened his hand and revealed what he had been hiding.

The stone was shaped into a moderately sized heart. Kurama handed it to Hanabi, who eyed the stone suspiciously.

She cocked a brow at Kurama. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Cutting it means Genbu's defeat." Kurama gestured to Genbu's dismembered stone body. "The stone is all yours, Doctor Hanabi."

Hanabi took it from him and closed her hand around the stone. "Alright. You've paid, I'll help you now."

Kuwabara and Yusuke were obviously alarmed. "Are you saying that if he didn't pay then you would leave him like that?"

"Yes."

"YOU'RE AWFUL!"

She continued to ignore them and proceeded to remove Kurama's shirt without asking him. He didn't mind, even lifting his arms to accomodate. It was routine for them.

Hiei complained about how the mission has increased in difficulty, now that Kurama had injured himself. Kurama looked sheepish.

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up."

"I'm sorry."

"..."

"..."


End file.
